File-case and file



3 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

' a q H. N. BOOZ.

. FILE GASE'AND FILE.

'No. 562,370. Patented Jun 23, 1896.

(No Model.)

3 Shets-Sheet 2. H. N.- BOOZ. FILE CASE AND FILE.

Patented June 23, 1896.

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\ ANDREW B.GRAHAM. Pn010-Lm10.wAsmNGTON.D C

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3..

H. N; BOOZ. FILE GASE AND FILE.

No. 562,s70.- Patented June 23, 1896.

A" DREW BYGRANAM. PHOYO-UTHDWASHINGTON. D C

NITED T STATES PATE T OFFICE,

HENRYN. BOOZ, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FILE-CASE AND FlLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,370, dated June 23, 1896. i

Application filed April 1895.

T on whom, it may concern.-

I new and useful Improvements in File-Gases one of the horizontal division-plates.

and Files; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in file-cases and files for the preservation of legal papers, business letters, &c., and for a convenient arrangement of the same; and the objects of my improvements are to construct file-cases and files more economically than has heretofore been done, and to protect more completely from dust, vermin, smoke, water, and fire the articles contained in the files than has to this time been accomplished. I attain these objects by the constructions illus:

.trated in the accompanying drawings, in

which- I t Figure l is a perspective view of the filecase withone or more of the several plates secured in place. Fig. 2 is a front and rear section of the file-case,showing the horizontal division-plates secured to one of the end plates. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the two ends of the fi1e-case,illustrating the various methods of securing the vertical partitions in place in connection with Fig. 4

is a view from back to front, showing in vertical section two file-receptacles, with one of the files partially removed from theopening. Fig. 5 is a front elevation. of the two upper rows of receptacles of theform of ledge illustrated in Fig. 4: of the drawings, with a portion of one end of the case broken away. Fig. 6 is a view from back to front, showing in vertical section one filereceptacle entirely and a portion of another receptacle beneath .the same broken off.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a portion of one horizontal row of filereceptacles adapted to receive the form of return-bend of the projecting ledge illustrated in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of one of the files, taken through the center, showing the follower and its support in sec- $erialNo. 546,236. (No model.)

tion. Fig. 9 isa modification offthe upper end of the follower-support. Fig. 10 isa per spective view of one of the files with the follower and its support removed. Fig. 11 is a plan view looking down into one of the files, showing the follower and its support in position in full lines, and thefollower and its.

support when being removed in dotted lines; and Fig. 12 is a cross-section of one of the files with the follower and its. support removed.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The file-cases for convenience are made up in sections, which may be hooked or riveted together when completed, ashereinafter more fully described, each of which containsfive or more horizontal rows of openings, and five, more or less, vertical rows or tiers of receptacles or openings, into which the files,

ticles, are easily madeto slide.

I build up each section of my file-case in the following manner, to wit: I first stamp, or cut out, by means of dies, from light sheet metal, No. 24 American gage, or from heavier or 'even lighter metal, if desired, two end pieces A A and back piece A for each section of my file-case, the entire height, depth, and length of the case desired. I then stamp out, or eut, with dies, in like manner, from the same sheet, or from like sheets of metal, the bottom or base plate B, the top plate 0, and the intermediate horizontal plates E E. (Shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4:, and 5 of the drawings.) I now stamp out, or cut, from like sheet of metal the vertical partitions D D of the forms shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 7 of the drawings, having formed thereon, at each end thereof, three or more rounded tenons or lips a a, which are designed to project through narrow slots or openings 1) b downward through the bottom or base plate B of each section of the file-case, and are turned at right angles against the under face of said bottom or base plate, while the tenons or lips a a on the opposite end of each vertical partition, one or more of them, are made to pass upward through similar narrow slots or openings 1) b in the horizontal plate, forming the roof or ceiling .of the lowermost row of file-receptacles, and

designed to hold papers,letters, and like arthe bottom or floor of the second row of filereeeptacles, and are there clenched, one or more of them, or turned at right angles against roof or ceiling plate, as shown at y of Fig. 3,

but I may turn at right angles the two remaining tenons or lips a a on the upperend of the said partition, against the under face of the horizontal roof or ceiling plate, thereby forming a rest for the same; or I may simply project all three of the tenons or lips a a on the upper end of each vertical partition upward through the narrow slots in the roofplate, or all three of the tenons on the lower end of each vertical partition, downward through the narrow slots in the horizontal or floor plate, without clenching or turning the same at right angles to either the upper or under face of the horizontal plate through which said tenons or lips to a pass.

The central partition D in Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates a modified form of my partition-plate, in which the lower end of one partition-plate is bent twice upon itself, forming on the end thereof arecess or socket, into which the upper end of the contiguous partition-plate is inserted. In this manner I build up from the bottom or base plate B of each section of my file-caseby placing thereon the vertical partitions, then an intermediate horizontal roof or ceiling plate, for the first or bottom row of file-receptacles; turning down the ends of each horizontal plate, so as to abut against the vertical end plate at each end of the file-section; insert a tenon or lip cut out of the body of each end piece into the narrow slots or openings near the ends of each horizontal plate, thereby securely holding all the horizontal plates of each section of file-cases to the two end plates thereof, as well as firmly binding and rigidly fiX- ing all the vertical partitions in their proper places, and, to further strengthen, hold, and bind all the parts together, I pass strong steel rods 0 0, having on the ends thereof right and left screw-threads, through the bottom or base plate B, at the four corners thereof, of each section of case, through all intermediate horizontal plates, and through the top plate, the roof of the uppermost row of file-receptacles, the entire depth of the filecase; and I moreover pass similar steel rods through the entire depth of each section of file-cases in front of and in the rear of each vertical partition, and screw nuts tightly upon the ends of the same, thereby preventing the displacement of any plate of which the section is made up out of its true or proper position. The back plate is then placed in position in the same manner that the end pieces or plates are secured to the bottom or base, top plate, and intermediate plates, namely, by tenons or lips out from the body thereof and inserted into slots in the edges of all the horizontal plates from the bottom to the top of the file-case. Over the end pieces and back plate of each section ornamental polished steel plates are fastened, in order to give to the finished section an artistic appearance.

Hitherto file-cases have been built up,with vertical partitions made in one piece extending from the bottom plate to the top of the case, the entire length of the case, and when made in this way the end pieces and vertical partitions are easily swayed from their true vertical positions in moving and shipping the same, but when built up in sections, as herein shown and described, having tenons or lips turned at right angles to the body portions of the vertical partitions, firm seats upon the bottom or base plates, top plates, and intermediate or horizontal plates are thereby formed, whereon strong, stable, un' yielding file-receptacles are constructed.

The top plate 0 and each intermediate horizontal plate E, but not the bottom or base B, have projecting beyond the front edge of each vertical partition roof ledges or moldings (Z cl (1 aboutthree-fourths of an inch, under which the top of the file-head c e is passed and firmly held, in order to exclude dust, vermin, smoke, water, and the like. Three forms of this feature of my device are shown, two illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, and the other in Figs. 6 and 7 thereof. The filehead is accordingly modified at the top, as illustrated at c, Fig. 4. In the said two forms the roof has a downward-turned right-angle lip m, against which the rear portion of the filehead closely fits or abuts, While in the other form the inwardly-projecting lip 'portion is curved and provided near each end thereof with two narrow slots LU at, into which the edges 6 of the vertical triangular support, or brackets for the file-head, enter, in order to shut out all dust, vermin, smoke, and water from the contents of the file.

In the forms shown in Fig. i with the downward-turned right-angle lips m m it is not necessary to cut or slot the inturned lip of the roof ledge or molding as before described, for the reason that the rear portion of the filehead is formed with an inward right-angle projection which abuts against the downwarddepending right-angle lip, thereby obviating the use of rubber bands or felt, heretofore employed, to make the file-head fit tightly against its abutment.

The file-body F is made of two pieces, two sides and outer bottom, formed of one piece of metal F, which has formed in the longi tudinal center thereof a slot 2', and the inner bottom F having downwardly-turned flanges g g, which press firmly against the inner faces of the two sides of the outer bottom F, the downwaid-turned ends or flanges g g resting IIO upon the inner surface of the outer bottom F.

as shown at h in Fig. 12 of the drawings, as

well as a shield or covering for the entire inner surface of the outer bottom of the file.

The functions which the inner bottom subserve are important. It prevents the footof the follower-support, hereinafter referred to,

from indenting the bottom of the groove of the outer bottom, it distributes evenly the weight of all papers in the file over the entire surface of the outer bottom, and. facilitates the easy andrapid movement of the foot of the follower-support in the longitudinal groove.

In constructing my file, I make the end piece like the head of the file, which is made by stamping out of sheet metal, by means of dies, a rectangular head K, with two triangular win g portions 1 Z, wider at one end than at the other, bent at right angles to the front of the head-piece K, the said wing portions securely riveted at the wider portion thereof, to the outer side F of the body portion F of the file near the front end, thereby forming a brace or stay for the file-head. The end of the file K is made in a similar manner, by meansof dies, from sheet metal.

and provided with triangular wings Z l, riveted to the outer sides of the body F of the file, near the rear end thereof, the triangu lar wings forming stays or brackets for the After riveting the stays or brackets to the body F, the'larger portion of the end piece K. is stamped out, leaving a rectangular opening therein 0, as shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings. The follower Qis made of a rectangular piece of malleable metal, a little less than the width of the interiorof the file, and to the center, upon its rear face, is secured, by means of screws or rivets, a fixedplate q, with a tenon thereon, to which is pivoted a support R, provided with the finger-hole n for the follower. The upper end of the support Ris slotted longitudinally, in which slot t of Fig.8 the pintle, forming a part of the tenon on the fixed plate, works and slides. Another form of slot 15 is shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. Made in the upper end of the follower-support R is anopening, so that the pintle on the said tenon of the fixed plate, on the rear of the follower Q, may be readily inserted into the slot or quickly removed therefrom.

The follower Q and its support may be quickly and easily removed from the longitudinal slot in the bottom of the file by turning the flat side of. the follower Q, against which the papers deposited in the file rest, parallel with the side of the file-body F", inclinin g the follower and its support toward the said side of the file-bodyF until the flat face of the follower Qrests upon the top or upper edge of the side of the file-body, when the foot of the support Ris readily removed from the longitudinal slot of the file.

Having fully described my invention, what i I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The file composed of the body, F, F, r

the head and end piece K, K, each having yformed therewith, integral, triangular braces or stays, secured to the body of the file, near the front and rear end, respectively, substantially as herein shown and described, the longitudinallychanneled outer bottom, the longitudinally-channeled inner bottom, F extending over the entire inner face, and deflected into the longitudinal channel of said outer bottom, in combination with the follower Q, the support, provided witha fingerhole, n, pivotally secured to the follower, and having on one endthereof the broad flat foot,

the rear edge of which being fiush with the rear edge of the support and having a narrow shank adjacent to the foot whereby the said foot is readily removed from the slot, F and quickly inserted therein, as herein set forth.

2. A file composed of the body, the head and end piece each formed with integral triangular braces, the longitudinally-channeled outer andinnerbottoms,the follower, thesupport having a finger-hole, pivotally secured to the follower, and having abroad flat foot, having its rear edge flush with the rear edge of the said support and provided with a narrow shank adjacent to the foot, all substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. HENRY N. BO'OZ. W'itnesses:

. JOHN Ronenns,

CHAS. F. VAN HORN. 

